Bottle stopper



April 15, 1941. F END 2,238,722

BOTTLE STOPPER Filed May 20, 1940 jzadezozazf' 3 fraz'nazai ['mderPatented Apr. 15, 1941 BOTTLE STOPPER Ferdinand E. Fender, Evanston,Ill., assignor to Vaughan Novelty Mfg. 00., Chicago, 111., a corporationof Illinois Application May 20, 1940, Serial No. 336,145

3 Claims.

' This invention relates to bottle stoppers, and more particularly to astopper for removable attachinent to an ordinary ginger ale, chargedwater or other bottle having an annular groove around the neck such, forinstance, as the usual type of bottle adapted originally to be sealed bya crown cap. V I

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel stopper ofthe above type that can besecured to a bottle neck after removal of thecrown cap, andwhich while securedto' the bottle neck can be usedrepeatedly to cap or uncap the pouring opening of the bottle.

It is a further object of my invention to provide'such a stopper 'withprovisions to enable its readyremoval from one bottle and transferenceto another. 1

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel stopperhaving the above features and which will automatically spring open whena latch release button is pressed.

An additional object is to provide a stopper adapted to fulfill theabove objectives and which may be manufactured at'relati'vely low cost.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of my invention and theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig; 1 is a side view of the upper portion of what may be considered asa representativeginger ale, charged water or other crown cap sealedbottle with a' stopper embodying my invention attached thereto; i

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, excepting that it shows the upperportion of the bottle with the stopper thereon from the front; i

the numeral I0 is shown secured to the neck of a soft drink bottle I2. 1

The upper portion of the neck of a crown cap sealed bottle is ordinarilyprovided as shown with a constricted portion or annular groove H, whichis used in carrying out the present invention to secure the stopper I0to the bottle.

The stopper comprises a soft rubber plug or cap l6 which, when placedover the opening in a bottle and pressed downwardly, serves effectivelyto seal the bottle. The lower surface of this plug is shaped to providea flat annular surface I8 to be pressed against the top edge of thebottle and a downwardly projecting spherical portion 20 to extend intothe bottle opening An oval knob 22 having an annular groove 24therearound extends upwardly from the top surface of the plug and servesto secure the plug to a strip steel clamping member 26. During theassembly operation, the soft rubber plug is attached to the clampingmember 26 by passing one of i the Wings of the-oval'knob 22 upwardly Thestrip-26 is provided with a circular central I portion 30 to overlie therubber plug I 6 and Fig. 3 is a plan View of the stopper shown in Figs.1 and2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig.6-; i

Fig; 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, but showing thearrangement assumed by the parts whenthe closure portion'of the stopperis tilted backwardly to open the bottle for pouring;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical medial sectional view through the stopperand upper portion of the bottle, and may be considered as taken in thedirection of the arrows along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, excepting that it illustrates thepositions assumed by the parts as the opening button is being depressed.

In the drawing in which similar characters of reference refer to similarparts throughout the several views, the stopper indicated generally byevenly distribute the downward pressure thereon when the bottle issealed. Preferably, the edges of this circular central portion areturned downwardly to form a flange 32 to embrace the peripheral edges ofthe plug.

A'loop of spring wire 34 extends around thegroove 14 in the bottle andhas its opposite end portions bent outwardly away from the bottle, sothat for a portion of their length they extend parallel to each other.The extreme ends of the wire are bent toward each other to form bearingsurfaces 36 and then extend upwardly at right angles to form cammingfingers 38.

The spring metal of the clampingmember 28 has an elongate-d arm 40extending rearwardly from the circular central portion 30. This arm 40is curved downwardly and inwardly to such a position that a wedge shapedre-entrant opening 42 in the end thereof straddles the camming Afterbeing released,

fingers 33, as best illustrated in Fig. 4, when the plug I6 is inclosing position relative to the bottle I2. The side edges of the end ofthe arm 40 are bent downwardly to form wings 43 having apertures 44therethrough to serve as bearings to journal the clamping member forpivotal movement around the straight bearing surfaces 36 of the wire 34.

With this construction, it will be seen that the cap may be tiltedbackwardly to open the bottle or it may be tilted forwardly and presseddownwardly to close the bottle. It will further be seen, that when thecap is in closing position, as best seen in detail in Fig. 4, the sideedges forming the re-entrant opening 42 will embrace the camming fingers38 and draw them inwardly to close the wire loop 34 tightly about thegroove M in the bottle neck, but that when the bottle is opened, thefingers 38 will be freed to spring outwardly slightly as shown in Fig.5. Thus, with the cap tilted backwardly, the wire loop 34 may be slippedover the top of the bottle to install or remove the cap, but when thecap is tilted forwardly in bottle closing position, the cap will besecurely clamped upon the bottle neck while the tendency of the springwire loop 34 to pull the camming fingers 38 apart will cause the cap tospring open as soon as it is released.

In order to retain the cap in bottle closing position, the spring metalclamping member 26 has a forwardly and downwardly projecting finger 46provided at its end with an inwardly turned hook 48 adapted to engage ina rectangular opening 59 in a latching and releasing member 52.

This latching and releasing member 52 comprises :2

a piece of spring metal having an enlarged portion or button 54 to bepressed by the thumb or finger of the user for releasing the hook 48 topermit raising of the cap. This button 54 has a projection 55 extendinginwardly and upward 1y, around a straight portion 55 of the wire 34 andthen downwardly to bear with its end 57 against the bottle beneath theneck enlargement 58. Normally the button 54 is spaced somewhat away fromthe bottle neck as shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7 by the end 5? bearingagainst the bottle. Thus, when the cap is turned to closed position andpressed downwardly, the hook 48 on the spring strip 46 will snap intothe rectangular opening 50 and maintain the bottle closed. When it isdesired to open the bottle, the button 54 is pressed inwardly until thehook 48 slips out of the opening 50 and permits the cap to spring open.v

In the formation of this latching arrangement, I prefer that the outwardface of the latching and releasing member 52 be so arranged relative tothe finger 45 that when the button 54 is pressed inwardly, as shown inFig. 7, a portion 60 of the latching and releasing member 52 will abutagainst the underside of the finger at a point above the hook 48. Thisprevents the hook 48 from being drawn inwardly with the latching andreleasing member and failing to slip out of the rectangular slot 55.This arrangement it will be seen provides for a positive disengagementof the hook when the button is pressed inwardly.

Having described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim asnew and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A bottle closure comprising, a split ring of a size adapted to slipover the neck of a crown cap sealed bottle when slightly sprung, acompressing member hinged to said split ring, a resilient cap secured tosaid compressing member and adapted to seal a bottle when thecompressing member is moved to one position, said compressing memberhaving cam means adapted to tension said split ring when moved to saidone position, latch means secured to said split ring, a detent on saidcompressing member cooperating with said latch means releasably toretain said compressing member in said one position, and a member onsaid latch means to prevent the detent on said compressing member fromfollowing the latch means when said latch means is pressed toward thebottle neck.

2. A bottle closure comprising an attachment member adapted to bereleasably secured to a bottle, a sealing member hinged to saidattachment member and adapted for movement to and from bottle closingposition, a latching member secured to said attachment member in aposition substantially opposite to said hinge, means resiliently tomaintain a portion of said latching member spaced from the bottle neck,an extension on said hinged sealing member overlying a portion of saidlatching member when said sealing member is in bottle closing position,co operating detent members on said latching member and said extensionto retain said sealing member in closed position, and means on saidlatching member to prevent the detent on said extension from followingthe detent on said latching member when the portion of said latchingmember resiliently spaced from the bottle neck is pressed inwardlytoward the bottle.

3. A bottle closure comprising a band to encircle the neck of a bottle,a sealing member hinged to said band for movement to and from bottleclosing position, a generally downwardly inclined latching membersecured to said band in a position substantially opposite to said hinge,means resiliently to maintain the lower portion of the last said memberspaced from the neck ofthe bottle, a finger secured to said hingedsealing member and extending downwardly over said latching member whensaid sealing member is in bottle closing position, cooperating detentmembers on said latching member and said finger to retain said sealingmember in closed position, and means on said latching member topreventthe detent on said finger from following the detent on saidlatching member when said latching member is pressed inwardly toward thebottle neck. FERDINAND E. FENDER.

